Hidden History Unveiled: Lincoln pardoned Biden’s ancestor after civil war brawl

In a remarkable revelation, court martial records from the US National Archives have uncovered a connection between Abraham Lincoln and Joe Biden, as it is reported that Lincoln pardoned Biden’s great-great-grandfather, Moses J. Robinette, following a late-night Civil War-era brawl.

According to the documents detailed by the Washington Post on Monday, the incident took place on March 21, 1864, during a heated confrontation between Robinette and fellow Union Army civilian employee John J. Alexander in the Army of the Potomac’s winter camp in Virginia.

Robinette, a 42-year-old veterinary surgeon hired by the army, found himself charged with attempted murder after a scuffle that ensued when Alexander overheard him making unfavorable remarks to a cook. The altercation escalated, with Robinette drawing his pocketknife and inflicting several cuts on Alexander before others intervened.

Despite Robinette’s defense that he resorted to such means to protect himself, military judges convicted him and sentenced him to two years of hard labor. However, three army officers appealed to Lincoln, arguing that the punishment was excessively harsh and that Robinette had acted in self-defense against a physically superior opponent.

Lincoln, known for his compassion, agreed with the appeal and signed the pardon on September 1 of the same year, sparing Robinette from his sentence. This long-buried piece of history, brought to light by historian David J. Gerleman in a Washington Post article, sheds light not only on Biden’s family history but also emphasizes the wealth of untold Civil War stories awaiting discovery.

The article concludes that these 22 well-preserved pages of trial transcript, tucked away among numerous routine court-martial cases in the National Archives, serve as a poignant reminder of the undiscovered narratives from the Civil War era, connecting two presidents across the centuries in an unexpected twist of historical fate.